


Take Me To Church

by ScarletWitch713



Series: Inspired by Music [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Homophobia, M/M, Religion based homophobia, Take Me to Church song
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-06
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-04-19 03:31:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4731257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarletWitch713/pseuds/ScarletWitch713
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Castiel's parents catch him with another boy, they ship him off to Saint Andrew's School for Boys, along with Gabriel who comes out to protect Cas. What they think is a safe school to 'cure' their boys might just be the opposite.</p>
<p>Based on the song Take Me to Church by Hozier, which is about his frustrations with the Catholic Church and their homophobia. Idea prompt courtesy of Ilsa!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In a comment left on Shut Up and Dance, Ilsa gave me the idea to write one based off of this song. After doing a little bit more reading on the song and its meaning, I got this idea. The line "I was born sick, but I love it, command me to be well" is what really inspired this. I hope you like it!

Saint Andrew's School for Boys was exactly what Castiel's parents had hoped it would be. It was a highly religious school, with limited spaces so each boy got their own bedroom. They had sent Castiel and his older brother, Gabriel, to Saint Andrew's in the hopes that it would "cure them". Castiel had been careless, and as a result, his parents had found out that he was gay. When the screaming match had started, Gabriel was the only one of his siblings to come to his aid, announcing that he, too, was gay. Their mother had nearly fainted at the revelation that not one, but two of her children were "sick". So they had been shipped off two days later by train to attend the very private, very Catholic school. They were greeted at the train station by the principal of the school, a woman who seemed to be in her fifties, with gray hair and a massive frown line. Castiel and Gabriel approached her silently, Gabriel having already received a blow to the back of the head by Castiel for a rude comment about the woman.

"Gabriel and Castiel Novak?" She snipped in a harsh voice.

"The one and only," Gabriel smirked in response.

"You are to answer in a simple yes or no manner, and you will address me as Principal Naomi, or Ma'am. Is that understood?" She snarled at him.

"Yes Ma'am," Castiel responded quietly, Gabriel quite a bit slower to learn.

"Sure thing, sir," he answered with a troublesome grin.

"I see this disease has already begun to take root in your sickly brain, as it is obviously affecting your ability to listen," she snapped, effectively wiping the look from Gabriel's face. His face contorted into that of a wild animal, and he began to lunge towards her, Castiel's fast reflexes the only thing stopping him. "You will do well to behave yourself, young man." She growled at him, grabbing his backpack and pushing him towards the door, other hand reaching to grab Castiel's. He ducked away from her, perfectly capable of finding the door on his own. He quickly fell in step next to Gabriel, reaching to pat his shorter brother on the shoulder. Gabriel ignored it, continuing to look affronted by what she had said. His golden eyes were downcast, lacking their usual spark, and his usually energetic bounce was nowhere to be seen.

"Don't worry Gabriel, you'll be eighteen soon, then they can't force you to stay here." Castiel tried to reassure him, his face falling slightly as he had another thought. "At least you don't have to stay here for two years." At that, Gabriel's head shot up, turning a slightly panicked look to his brother.

"No way, Cassie. Once I turn eighteen I'll become you're legal guardian and we can both get out of here. There's no way in hell I'll leave you alone in this unholy prison. If I was going to do that, I would have kept my mouth shut and never even come with you. No." Gabriel stated firmly.

"Thanks, Gabe," Castiel smiled, dropping an arm over his brother's shoulders and giving him a "Christian side hug" as his friends called it. "I'm really glad you came with me."

"Don't thank me yet, Cassie. Thank me when I get us the hell out of here."

As they exited the train station onto the sleet covered sidewalk, Principal Naomi marched out ahead of them, leading them down the pick-up zone a little ways to a white minivan with 'Saint Andrew's School for Boys' painted on the side with the logo, which appeared to be a choir singing to a cross. Castiel hoped they weren't forced to sing in a choir, as he was a terrible singer. Principal Naomi stomped around the van to climb into the driver's seat, and Castiel and Gabriel shrugged at each other, climbing into the back seat to sit beside each other. Gabriel had barely pulled the door closed behind him before she was tearing away from the curb with enough force to slam the brothers into their seats and make the tires squeal.

"Geez, at this rate we won't live to make a break for it," Gabriel muttered, loud enough that he received a scorching glare through the rear view mirror. He sank lower in his seat, clearly upset about the whole situation. The atmosphere in the van was so tense and downcast that Castiel couldn't even force himself to look up from his lap and take in his surroundings. After a suffocating, silent ride that seemed like a year, Castiel vaguely realized they had slowed to a crawl along a gravel road. Looking out the window, he noticed it wasn't actually a road, but a driveway.

They eventually rolled to a stop outside a white mansion like building. It was three stories tall, and five windows were visible on the top two floors, with four windows on the lower level, two on either side of the large double door that served as the main entrance. Hung above the wooden door was a grey sign that said 'Saint Andrew's School for Boys' in bold blue letters, and 'Home for Lost Souls' written in smaller white print and the logo on either end of the sign. The white walls were yellowed slightly with age, and some cracks were visible upon closer inspection. Naomi turned the van off, briskly stepping out and up the three cement steps to the front door. She turned back to the van, shooting them a look that said to hurry up. With a groan, Castiel opened up the door and climbed out, slinging his backpack on as he did so and stepped aside to let Gabriel out. They stood, side by side, staring up at the prison they were expected to call home. With a scowl, Gabriel took the lead, climbing the steps as Naomi turned to push the double doors open. They swung inward with a slight creak, one that Castiel suspected was more from the old wood than the hinges themselves.

The doors opened to reveal a large, dimly lit foyer, with a flagstone floor, large entryways leading off to both sides of the building, with a black marble staircase leading up to the upper floors. A glance up revealed that the upper floors were both open in the middle, providing a balcony that over looked the staircase, a second set of stairs directly above the first.. The stairs themselves split off at the top to form a walkway around the open ceiling.

"Bedrooms are on the top two floors, and your classroom is on the left here. The dining hall is on the right. Follow me to your bedrooms." Naomi snapped. She stormed up the stairs, the brothers following behind her at a slower pace. When she reached the top of the first set of stairs, she walked down the corridor to the foot of the second staircase, stopping to glare at the boys in warning to hurry up. Gabriel seemed to drag his feet more under her withering look, earning a prod from Castiel. When they finally reached her, she took off up the second set of steps, disappearing off to the left of the stairs. After a quick look around them, the brothers noticed a narrow hallway stretched off both sides, presumably leading to more bedrooms. They trailed after the miserable woman down to the end of the second hallway, where she stopped in front of two doors across from each other. A third, narrower door was set into the wall between them. She pointed to the door on the right of the hallway, indicating it was Gabriel's room. Castiel's was across the hall, on the left.

"Unpack your bags. You will find four sets of school uniform, the shirts, pants and jackets are hung in the closet, ties and belt are in the dresser, and your shoes are at the end of your bed. You will wear your uniform every day, and your regular clothes are only for Friday and Saturday nights after dinner. A semi weekly inspection will be done after classes. There are personal washrooms in each bedroom. You are not to enter into another's bedroom, under any circumstances. When you are finished unpacking, change into a uniform and return downstairs to the classroom. You will meet your classmates and join them for the remainder of class before dinner. Get to it." With a click she turned and disappeared back down the hallway.

"I think I might kill someone," Gabriel said with a grimace.

"Don't worry, I'll help you." Castiel glared after her, determined to resist the urge to yell obscenities after her.

"Come on," Gabriel clapped him on the shoulder. "We better do what she says before she has another cow." This got a slight twitch of Castiel's lips as he attempted a smile, but it was more of a scowl than a smile. Castiel turned and opened the door to his new room, stopping as he saw what lay behind the door.

It was a fair size room, but it was far from fancy. It had a single sized bed pushed up against the wall halfway across the room, and the far side of the room made up a small bathroom. A little corner shower stood on the far left side of the room, with an enclosed toilet next to it, a single basin sink next to it. A wooden shelf rested above the sink, with a small mirror poised above that. Stepping further into the room, Castiel noticed a closet set into the wall across from the bed, and a four drawer dresser in the corner by the door on the same side as the bed. A window was set into the wall between the bed and dresser, and in the opposite corner was a wooden desk with a basic chair. There was no personality to the room at all, and Castiel doubted he would be allowed to give it any, and with two inspections a week, he knew he couldn't even sneak it in.

With a resigned sigh, Castiel pushed the door closed as he headed towards the bed, dropping his backpack onto it. He had only been allowed to bring two changes of clothes, a change of pajamas, and his personal hygiene products. He took his time strolling around the room, putting items away one at a time. Eventually he ran out of things to put away, so he grabbed a change of clothes out of the closet. He dropped the uniform on the bed, giving it a glare as he shucked his jeans and T-shirt. The white uniform shirt was slightly scratchy against his chest, but he ignored it as he pulled the dark blue slacks on, and was surprised to find them comfortable and almost soft. Without the belt they barely stayed on his hips, so he quickly tightened it. The white shirt was probably supposed to be tucked in, but he really didn't care, leaving it untucked as he slid into the equally blue jacket. He took a quick look at the tie, opting to throw it in his pocket rather than fight with it. He grabbed the shoes, an ugly black pair, and slid them on quickly, heading to the door just as he heard Gabriel's door close again.

"Hey Ca-" Gabriel was mid shout when Castiel's bedroom door flew open.

"I hate this," was all Castiel said in response as he stormed past Gabriel, slamming the door behind him.

"Don't you look like shit," Gabriel chuckled. "You know it's supposed to be tucked in right?"

"Yep. And?"

"Nothing. Hey, where's your tie? You're going to get yelled at."

"Yep. And?" Gabriel sighed. Castiel had these moods where if he didn't want to do something, he wasn't going to do it. So if he didn't want to wear the proper uniform, no amount of coaxing would make him. They descended the stairs in silence, Gabriel hoping Castiel would quit being so stubborn and fix his uniform, but gave up on that hope when they reached the main floor. He shot his little brother one last worried look before striding ahead of him in the direction Naomi had indicated the classroom was in. He went through the entryway and down a long corridor with a couple doors leading off it. Castiel glanced in the door on the right of the hallway, discovering a small half bathroom, with just a toilet and sink, while Gabriel peeked into the room a few feet down from it on the left. It was a small den area, with three couches pushed together, two in a V shape, with the third flush against one wall. Across from the third couch was a small desk with a computer on it. To the right of the door was a large television on a wooden stand, with a DVD player tucked onto a shelf under it. They continued down the hall to where it opened up into the classroom.

Calling it a classroom was generous. It was actually more like an office than a classroom. Two long boardroom type tables spanned the length of the room parallel to each other, with about twelve chairs around each table. What Gabriel recognized as a SMARTBoard, an electronic white board, covered the majority of the far wall, with bay windows on either side of it, and along one side of the room. There were five other boys sitting in various spots around the room, heads down and concentrating on their work. There were two boys with light blond hair, even lighter than Gabriel's, one with dirty blonde hair and piercing green eyes which seemed to burn a hole through Gabriel as he glared at him, and one with black hair and a short beard. The one that caught Gabriel's attention had shaggy brown hair and bright, hazel eyes. He glanced up at the brothers as they entered, giving them a small smile before returning his eyes to his work.

"Mr Novak! Fix your uniform immediately!" A man barked from the far corner of the room, where he sat at his desk over seeing the working boys. Gabriel glanced down at himself before he realized that Castiel was the one being yelled at. Castiel rolled his eyes as all the students looked up to watch him. He pulled his jacket open, reaching around to start tucking his shirt in from the back, part of his stomach being exposed in the process. Gabriel didn't miss when the green eyed guy seemed riveted to his brother's motions, unable to tear his gaze away.

'Well, I know what he's in for.' Gabriel thought with a smirk. The brown haired guy who caught Gabriel's eye was sitting directly across from him, and used that in order to kick the green eyed one, getting his attention. They shot each other annoyed looks, before the green eyed man's expression shifted into an amused one, sending a wink across the table, and receiving what could only be described as a bitch face from the latter.

"Where's your tie?" The teacher barked again.

"I don't know how to put on a tie." Castiel said simply.

"That's not what I asked, Novak." Castiel pulled his tie out of his pocket, dropping it onto the table the two guys sat at. Green eyes' lips twitched as he suppressed a smirk, earning him another swift kick from the guy across the table. The other three watched the exchange in silence, not bothering to pretend to do their work anymore.

"Does that answer your question?" Castiel sniped, earning another glare from the teacher.

"Why can't your brother help you then?" The teacher demanded, turning his glare on Gabriel.

"Uh, hello, have you seen mine? I tied it in a simple knot, and I'm pretty sure that's not how it's done." Gabriel added, tugging his tie into view. The teacher sighed, throwing his hands up in surrender.

"Someone help those two." He snapped. Green eyes stood up, almost too quickly and made his way to Castiel, while the shaggy haired one across from him shook his head, rolling his eyes. When the three at the other table didn't bother to move, shaggy hair got up and strode over to Gabriel. He was easily a foot taller than Gabriel, a fact that should have made him feel intimidated, but only piqued his interest more. He could just hear Castiel and green eyes whispering to each other. He saw them out of the corner of his eyes, smiling at each other and more than likely flirting.

'Great, get tossed in a religious prison for being gay, and my brother manages to hit on the only other gay guy in here.' Gabriel thought with an eye roll, returning his attention to the giant of a man in front of him.

"Hey moose, the name's Gabriel. Although my friends sometimes call me Loki, depending on my mood," Gabriel introduced himself in a whisper, winking at the tall man in front of him, whose hands were drifting over his shoulder a lot for someone who was supposed to be tying his tie.

"Sam," he said with an eye roll. He finished with the tie, smoothing his hands down the front of Gabriel's jacket before turning away. Gabriel stood rooted to the spot, trying to keep his jaw from hitting the floor. Ok, so maybe Cassie hadn't found the -only- other gay guy. He continued to stare after Sam, who slid back into his seat, shooting Gabriel a wink.

"Winchester, what's the hold up?" The teacher snapped again, the green eyed man jerking back suddenly.

"Sorry sir, just finished up. Do you know how hard it is to tie a brand new tie? They never want to crease the right way. Gotta break 'em in, you know?" He grinned at the teacher.

"Dean, just shut up and sit down," Sam hissed. Dean rolled his eyes, returning to his seat across from Sam.

"Now," the teacher said, standing up and crossing the room. "Which of you is which?" He asked, looking between them.

"I'm Castiel," they both said, Gabriel turning to look at Castiel with mock horror. "Gabriel, why would you lie to him? He seems like such a nice man who doesn't deserve your tricks." Gabriel said, succeeding in holding his face together, that is, until Sam snickered. Gabriel’s face cracked as he began to laugh. Man, if he found that funny he was way more stressed out about the whole thing than Castiel had originally thought.

“Fine, if that’s how you want to be, -Castiel-,” the teacher retorted, putting emphasis on the name as he glared between the brothers. “Then you can play clone tonight while you clean the kitchen for your detention. Now sit down!” He yelled. Castiel scowled at Gabriel, moving to take a seat next to Dean. Gabriel followed, all sense of humor completely gone, and sat beside Sam, on his other side so he wasn’t directly across from his little brother’s death glare. If looks could kill, that’s for sure.

“Thanks a lot, Gabe,” Castiel snarled quietly as the teacher dropped a textbook in front of them both.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it Cas, chances are Sammy and I will do something stupid before then and have to help you guys. Besides, it’s never actually that messy in there.” Castiel smiled at him, squeezing his leg under the table as thanks for the reassurance, a gesture that was not lost on Gabriel.

“I guess dear old Mommy and Daddy didn’t really know what they were doing when they sent us here, huh Cassie?” Gabriel winked at his brother, who only glared back in return. Yeah, he was going to die in his sleep tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this turned out way longer than I was planning it to be. When I read what the song is actually about, it just kinda flowed from there....


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry about how long it took to update this. We just changed our hours at work so I'm working more days, and I've been trying to binge watch seasons 9 and 10 so I can start watching S11 when it comes on TV. This chapter started out as being super difficult to write and then the last part just kind of poured out. I hope you guys like it, and I apologize in advance for how long it may take to update again!!

After what felt like an eternity of reading through chapter eight of the textbook (which was some bullshit interpretation of the Book of Leviticus in Castiel's opinion, I mean, it literally was so far off from what the book was actually trying to say, how could anyone believe that?), they were finally allowed to leave.

"Come on, we've got about an hour before supper, let me give you the grand tour," Dean grinned at Castiel, grabbing his arm and dragging him away as soon as they were out of the teacher's direct line of sight. Gabriel chuckled, turning to see Sam giving him an odd look. It was like he was trying to read him, but he was also checking him out, head tilted to the side slightly, similar to the look Castiel gives people when he's confused about something.

"What?"

"Nothing," Sam grinned, moving suddenly as he began to walk past Gabriel, whose arm shot out to stop him.

"That wasn't a nothing look. That was a 'I think I just found out something interesting about you' look. What are you thinking?" Gabriel prodded. He didn't like people being able to read him. It made him predictable, and if he was predictable, his pranks weren't a success.

"I'm thinking," Sam growled, moving quickly to pin Gabriel against the wall. One hand landed on his left hip, the other grabbing his right wrist. "That you're here by choice. I'm thinking that you act like an asshole, but as soon as anyone tries to do anything to hurt your little brother in some way, you won't stand for it. You're obviously a trickster, and tricksters never intentionally do anything that will come back on themselves, most are too selfish. You're like two opposite people." He finished quietly, keeping Gabriel pinned to the wall.

"Well, I have been told that I'm so charming I need two personalities just to contain it," Gabriel grinned back, winking at Sam, whose face was mere inches from his own. Sam gave a thoughtful noise, pulling back slightly, but not releasing his hold on Gabriel.

"I'm assuming you're here because you came out to your overly religious parents as gay? And not because you have multiple personalities." Sam stated the last part.

"Basically. They busted Cassie with some other guy, had a coniption, then said they were calling this place to ship him off. That's when I stepped in and told them that I was hella gay. Didn't change their mind about shipping him off, but at least they sent me with him. I'll be eighteen soon, and I'm going to fight to get legal guardianship of Cassie so he doesn't have to stay here either." Gabriel explained, earning him a warm smile from Sam. "Hey now, don't go thinking I'm soft because I look out for my little bro. Cause I can and will chew you up and spit you out if you mess with me." Gabriel tried to growl, an unsupressed grin ruining the affect. Sam laughed, pulling him away from the wall.

"Come on, I'll show you around. You know, it's actually not all that bad here. The food is pretty good, and aside from having to read the bible and that stupid textbook every damn day, it's not too terrible punishment. It's the counselling sessions you gotta watch out for. They'll set you up, make you say you love girls, then chastise you for thinking about sex and shit before marriage. There's basically no winning with them." Sam chatted as he lead Gabriel down the hall they had originally come through, sliding his hand down from his wrist to his hand. Gabriel couldn't help but grin at the motion, lacing his fingers through Sam's. The sound of someone moving further down the hall had them springing apart, hands disappearing into pockets in an attempt to look non-chalant.

"They've obviously set this place up with gays in mind, huh?" Gabriel commented, looking at the single stall bathroom. Sam snorted in response, pulling him over to the living area he had seen with Castiel on the way to the classroom. Pushing the door open revealed the other three boys had disappeared into the living room, if that's what you would call it, and were spread out across all three couches, watching the television and chatting to each other.

"Gabriel, meet the demons, as I like to call them. The Scottish one in the back with a soul as black as his hair is Crowley, the evil British blond is Balthazar, and the one with the most troublesome look is Nick, but everyone calls him Lucifer. Just don't do that in front of the staff, you'll both end up in several hour long counselling and prayer sessions. Trust me, you don't wanna end up in there." Sam introduced the three guys, who each grinned at their descriptors. "Demons, meet Gabriel, who also goes by the name Loki, so I've heard."

"My not-so-good sirs! I look forward to the day we overthrow this place and rule it like the hell it should be." Gabriel gave them a devilish smirk, earning a laugh from everyone else.

"Don't let the angels hear that, they'll lock you up in solitary confinement and pray at you for the next week," Crowley grumbled in a deep Scottish accent.

"I only have to put up with this for a month and a half then I'm out of here," Gabriel grinned back at him.

"Don't be so sure of that," Balthazar stated.

"And why's that?"

"They don't let you leave that easily. If you put them through enough shit, they'll get a court order to hold you here as a mental health patient."

"They can't do that!" Gabriel exclaimed, irritated that Balthazar was dashing his hopes more than anything.

"Oh they can."

"And how do you know?" Gabriel retorted angrily.

"Because that's what happened to us!" Balthazar practically yelled, gesturing at himself and Crowley, who nodded his head slowly. Gabriel was shocked into silence. He felt like an ass, and an uncomfortable silence lingered around the room, the television the only source of sound.

"Come on, I'll show you the rest of the hellhouse. I mean, house." Sam grabbed Gabriel's arm, gently pulling him from the room.

"Did that really happen?" Gabriel asked quietly, once they were a safe distance away from the living area.

"Yea. They won't be here much longer if they keep it up though. They act like totally different people when it counts. Just remember that. If you act like you're a changed man, and you do what they want you to and say what they want to hear, you'll be out of here no problem when you turn eighteen. You'll have to get your brother in line right quick if you want him to go with you. Dean turns eighteen in a few more months, and he's planning on getting me out of here too, but the way he's been acting, I'll be out of here on my own before they'll let him go." Sam whispered back. They had wandered up to the third floor, on the opposite end from Gabriel and Castiel's rooms, and Gabriel had managed to zone out, hearing what Sam was saying but not seeing what was happening around him. Suddenly, he felt himself being pulled into another room. He blinked in surprise, realizing that it was Sam's room he was in.

"I thought we weren't allowed in each other's rooms? I got warned off against going into Cassie's room." Gabriel said simply.

"Rules, schmules. No one really follows them. What the staff don't know won't kill them. Well..." Sam trailed off with a grin, spinning Gabriel around so fast he tripped and fell onto the bed, Sam moving to sit over him, legs straddling his waist.

"Well hello. Don't waste much time do ya, Samoose?" Gabriel smirked up at him. Sam laughed, swinging one leg over Gabriel so he was sitting beside him, rather than on him.

"Nah, just giving an example. If they knew I did that, they might have a heart attack and die. Hey, wanna go show them?" Sam winked as Gabriel sat up, chuckling.

"As tempting as that sounds, I really don't need a criminal record for murder and indecent exposure," Gabriel winked back.

"Who said anything about indecent exposure?"

"If you're going to do something, go big or go home." Sam laughed again, flopping down so he was lying on his back next to Gabriel, who decided it was his turn to stir things up. He moved quickly, swinging his leg over Sam so he was now doing the straddling, leaning down to run his hands up Sam's chest as he brought his face close to Sam's.

"Whatcha doing there?" Sam asked, attempting seriousness, which was ruined by the humor in his eyes and voice.

"Just giving an example. Like I said, go big or go home, right? I'd rather go big and then go home, but we'll see how far I get." Gabriel said with a small smile. He was lost in Sam's eyes, which seemed to swirl in amusement like melted caramel. Shit, what was he doing? Oh yeah, trying to flirt and find a way to get out of the hellhouse at the same time. Just as he was about to say something else, probably stupid as his brain didn't seem to be moving as fast as his mouth, Sam flipped them over so Gabriel was now lying on his back, Sam's massive body looming over him.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Sam muttered, leaning down to close the distance between them. Just before he made contact, a buzzing noise sounded, earning a groan from Sam who just dropped his head, forehead resting against Gabriel's. "Next time then." He pushed himself off the bed, pulling Gabriel up with him and began straightening out his slightly rumpled clothing. Gabriel followed his lead, slipping quietly out of Sam's room and following him down the stairs towards the dining hall. They arrived in the hall right behind Dean and Castiel, who didn't appear to be at all flustered, so Gabriel assumed they weren't up to anything they shouldn't have been. Dean and Sam headed to one side of the table, Castiel and Gabriel heading to the other side and sitting across from their respective interests near the middle of the long table. 

The dining hall was set up similar to the classroom, with two long boardroom like tables that stretched the length of the room, with a dozen chairs around each. It was obvious only the table on the right was being used, as the one on the left had its chairs turned upside down and placed on it, so the legs stuck up in the air. At the head of the table sat Principal Naomi. On her right sat two teachers, a stuffy looking older woman, and a man in his thirties dressed in a full suit. On her left sat the teacher from earlier, who gave Castiel and Gabriel detention. He glared at the brothers as they sat down. The other three boys, or the demons as Sam called them, sat at the end opposite Principal Naomi.

"Good evening, students, teachers. As you may have noticed, we have been joined by two new students, Gabriel and Castiel Novak. Boys, please stand and introduce yourselves." Principal Naomi stood at the head of the table, motioning for the brothers to stand.

"Sorry, but didn't you just do that?" Gabriel asked innocently.

"Tell us about yourselves. Where you're from, why you chose to come here." She snapped at him. Gabriel rolled his eyes, standing up next to Castiel, who was eyeing the teachers nervously.

"Alright, well, I'm Gabriel, I'm almost eighteen and I'm from Montana. I didn't choose to come here, my parents shipped me and Cassie off because they found out we were hella gay." He finished with a wink at Sam, eliciting a noise of disgust from the teachers. Sam and Dean both snickered, while Castiel blushed at Gabriel's choice of words.

"Thank you, Mister Novak." Principal Naomi growled out, motioning for him to sit down now, before turning her glare on Castiel.

"Umm, I'm Castiel, I'm sixteen, also from Montana. My parents decided this school would be beneficial for me, so they sent me here. I mostly like to keep to myself and read." Castiel finished shyly, still trying to suppress the blush that was steadily creeping across his face and down his neck. Dean was giving him a devilish, almost predatory grin from across the table, and Gabriel had to tug on his shirt to get him to sit back down.

"Thank you, Castiel. You seem to have already acquainted yourselves with the Winchester brothers. At the far end of the table are Nick, Fergus and Balthazar. On my left is Doctor Mark Thomas, who you should have met earlier, but I know he doesn't always remember introductions. This is Professor Agatha Mills, and next to her is Professor Bartholomew Perth." Principal Naomi introduced everyone. When she introduced the other boys, Gabriel heard Nick and Crowley muttering something, and he had to hold in a snicker at the name Fergus.

After introductions were done, Principal Naomi rang a small bell that had been sitting behind her water glass, out of Gabriel’s immediate sight. A moment later the doors at the far end of the hall that led to the kitchen were pushed open, and several people appeared wearing all white and navy blue, each carrying a large tray. On each tray, two or three plates were balanced, loaded with chicken, potatoes, carrots and broccoli. The wait staff placed a plate in front of each person before disappearing back into the kitchen, to reemerge a moment later with glass jugs filled with ice water. Before they could eat, Principal Naomi led them through a prayer and saying grace, which Gabriel and Castiel mostly ignored.

Supper mostly passed in silence, with only a quickly whispered conversation between the other three boys, and Dean and Gabriel shooting winks and flirtatious grins across the table at Castiel and Sam, respectively. Castiel would blush furiously and attempt to ignore Dean as he shifted in his chair, while it took Sam all his self control to not burst out laughing. Suddenly it was Dean who burst out laughing, letting out a loud chuckle that startled everyone, except Castiel it appeared. Gabriel turned an accusing glare on his younger brother, who had a smug look on his face. Rolling his eyes, Gabriel decided to drop the matter. He glanced back at Sam, who had a knowing yet amused look on his face.

"What, pray tell, is so funny Mr Winchester?" Principal Naomi asked with a groan. She didn't really want to know, but was asking because she knew she had to.

"Oh nothing really. I just find it funny that Mr Thomas eats like a starved bull cow that's been introduced to something amazing for the first time," Dean sniggered, causing a quiet laugh from the other boys, and making Sam choke on his laughter. Dr Thomas opened his mouth to reply, face contorted in anger, when Principal Naomi cut him off.

"Mr Winchester! I expect you to apologize to Doctor Thomas," she exclaimed, putting emphasis on doctor. "Then I expect you to report to the kitchen after dinner for detention."

"Why, it's true. Aren't we supposed to tell the truth? You know, the whole 'thou shall not lie'?" Sam chimed in, a look of innocence plastered over his face. Principal Naomi gaped at them, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

"Both of you either apologize to Dr Thomas immediately and report to detention tonight, or you can report to detention for the next two weeks." She finally managed in a firm voice. Sam and Dean nodded, both giving 'sincere' apologies, although Gabriel suspected no one actually believed they were sincere. Satisfied, she returned to her meal, and silence overtook the room once more. Gabriel glanced up to see Sam and Dean both grinning at him and Castiel, and realized what they had been up to. It was all a set up so they didn't have to be in detention alone. Gabriel smiled appreciatively at them, finishing his food quickly. Once everyone was finished eating, the wait staff removed the dishes from the table, and Principal Naomi cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"Now, Gabriel, Castiel, normally you would have the next few hours to relax, wander around the house or spend time in the TV room until bed. However, I have been informed that you have also managed to land yourselves in detention. Since Sam and Dean are more than familiar with your task for tonight, I will leave it up to them to show you what to do. Once you have finished cleaning, you may spend the rest of your evening as you wish. House lights out at ten, meaning you must be in your bedrooms by then, and all lights out by half past. We will make rounds and knock on your door tomorrow at seven. You are to be dressed and back here by eight. Any questions?" Both brothers shook their heads no. "Good. You are dismissed." She finished curtly before rising from her spot at the head of the table and exiting the dining hall. The other teachers and the Demons followed swiftly, disappearing as they went to escape the tight confines of their uniforms. Gabriel groaned, dropping his head onto his arm which were crossed over the table.

"Alright boys, let's go," Dean grinned at them, standing up abruptly. He turned and marched towards the door to the kitchen that the wait staff had come through.

"Wow Deano, you're probably the only one who would be excited by doing dishes for detention." Gabriel trailed after him.

"First of all, it's Dean. Just Dean. Secondly, Short Stack, I'm excited to be done dishes. We can do this so fast with four people and get to the fun stuff." Dean replied, wiggling his eyebrows at Castiel, eliciting another blush from the shorter boy. Gabriel rolled his eyes, following Dean wordlessly into the kitchen, Sam and Castiel right behind him. It actually wasn't as bad as Gabriel had thought it would be. The kitchen itself was large, as was the rest of the house, with two massive ovens side by side, and an island in the middle of the kitchen that was covered in nothing but gas burners. It was obviously built to serve large numbers of people. Two large industrial type sinks permeated the counter that stretched along one wall, with a big metal counter separating them. Stacked in the sinks were several stainless steel pots, cooking utensils and two roasting pans, which the chicken was cooked in. On the counter between the sinks were all the plates, glasses and cutlery that they had used during supper.

"This isn't so bad. This is their idea of detention?" Gabriel laughed.

"Nu uh. Look behind you Gabe," Sam said, turning him to look at the other counter. It was completely flat marble, and covered in chunks of carrots, broccoli stems, cutting boards and potato skins. The floor was similarly decorated, with ground in vegetable chunks and raw chicken, and patches of red liquid told Gabriel that chicken blood had also fallen on the floor. He groaned as he turned back to look at Sam, dropping his head to rest against the taller man's chest. Sam laughed, stepping away from Gabriel after a moment to start cleaning.

"Alright, let's split up. Sammy, you and shorty are on dishes. Cas and I will do that." Dean ordered, marching over to the counter, wet cloth already in hand. Castiel remained where he was, giving Dean a confused look. "What?" Dean asked, noticing Castiel's hesitation.

"Cas?" The blue eyed man asked. Dean shrugged, returning to the disheveled counter. He began stacking the cutting boards on top of each other, using a knife to scrape the extra food into the nearby garbage can. The other three took their spots, busying themselves with their assigned tasks. Gabriel began scrubbing the dishes, while Sam rinsed and dried them, setting them off to the far side of the sinks. One plate in particular that Gabriel was passing off after rinsing it for Sam, happened to have a lot of excess water on it, a fact that Sam did not notice before inadvertantly dumping it on himself.

"Dude!" He yelled, giving Gabriel one of his signature bitch faces. At the sudden outburst, Dean and Castiel paused their hushed conversation to turn a questioning gaze on the other two. Sam waved them off, continuing to glare at Gabriel's smirk as he finished drying the plate.

"What's the matter, Samsquatch?" Gabriel grinned, splashing more water at Sam.

"Oh you do not want to start this, shorty," Sam replied evenly. He began to slowly spin the towel by one corner, picking up speed as Gabriel reached to throw more water at him. Once the towel was rolled up, he grabbed the other end, stretching it out and flicking it at Gabriel, a loud thwack resounding as the coiled, wet towel made contact with Gabriel's rear end.

"Son of a bitch!" He shouted in surprise, in turn flicking his hand, full of clean rinse water, at Sam, who dropped the towel as he tried to protect himself from the inevitable shower.

"Why you," Sam growled back, reaching into the sink with both hands and dumping a small wave of water over Gabriel.

"Come on you guys! We have to clean this up!" Dean snarled at them, which they didn't seem to hear as they were too busy laughing at their current state.

"It's fine Dean, look, the dishes are all done. Why don't I finish sweeping and you go grab the mop? We need to mop anyway, now we don't need to fill the bucket." Castiel chimed in helpfully, smiling at Dean, who grunted and stomped off to find the mop. Castiel finished sweeping as Dean returned, pushing the mop bucket along the floor. He began by trying to mop up the small lake the other two had created, while the other three began moving dishes to the storage room and placing them on the appropriate dish rack. By the time they finished, Dean was dumping the mop bucket into the sink, using the hose to quickly rinse it out. He grabbed the towels and cloths lying about, tossing them into the dirty laundry hamper in the storage room.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready for some relaxation by the TV. Coming Cas?" Dean beamed at him, mood having drastically changed. Instead of letting Castiel answer, he dragged him off to the TV room.

"Are we allowed to change into our regular clothes? I'm soaked." Gabriel pouted at Sam.

"That's your own fault," Sam chuckled back, heading to the stairs up to the bedrooms. "But yes. We're allowed to change out of our uniforms now. Meet you in the TV room?" He grinned, disappearing up the stairs. Gabriel sighed, heading up to his own room. He stripped off his wet clothes, leaving them in a pile in the middle of the floor, and pulled on his favourite sweat pants and a T-shirt before rushing back out the door. He was so lost in thought he didn't even notice Sam approaching until he ran straight into him, stumbling backwards until Sam caught his arms.

"Shit, sorry Sammy, tired. Lost in thought." Gabriel muttered out, hoping it made sense as he couldn't actually focus on his words with Sam's hands on him. Sam just chuckled in response, glancing around quickly before leaning down and placing a brief kiss on Gabriel's lips.

"Been wanting to do that for a while," Sam grinned down at his flabberghasted face. When Gabriel opened his mouth to say something, Sam just kissed him again. When he pulled away, he turned and darted down the stairs, pulling Gabriel with him.

"Well, Sammy, you sure know how to get a guy interested." Gabriel smirked behind him.

"What, that's what finally got you interested?" Sam's face fell slightly.

"Oh, God, no. I was interested the second I saw you. Now I'm just interested in how long before we can break out of this hellhole together." Gabriel grinned as Sam's face lit up again. They reached the TV room, closing the door behind them. Gabriel glanced over and saw Castiel curled up on the far side of the couch that he was sharing with a very disgruntled looking Dean. He shot them a questioning look, and was ignored by both. He shrugged as Sam pulled him over to another couch and down so he was reclining against Sam's chest. Sam wrapped his arms around Gabriel, pulling him tighter as Gabriel snuggled in closer. "Hey Sam?" Gabriel whipsered.

"Yeah, Gabe?"

"As soon as I turn eighteen I'm getting us all out of here." Gabriel promised, his voice loud enough that Dean and Castiel could hear him too.

"Look, man, I can see how you could get Cas out of here, but there's like no way you can 'rescue' me and Sam." Dean said quietly, using air quotes.

"I will, I promise you that Dean." Gabriel reassured him.

They sat in silence, watching some game show that was on, until a deep chime sounded throughout the building, causing Dean to jump up swearing. Sam sat up slower, pushing Gabriel to get up as he muttered something along the lines of 'trucking curfew'. Dean and Castiel scurried out of the room, but as Gabriel went to follow, Sam pulled him back, pressing another soft kiss to his lips, mouthing 'goodnight' as he released Gabriel and hurried to follow his brother. Gabriel sighed, running out of the room as the TV and lights turned themselves off. He sure as hell didn't want to get stuck in the halls in the dark. The place was creepy enough during the day, when he didn't have to stumble through the dark looking for his room. He made it to his hallway just as the lights went out. Swearing under his breath, he fumbled his way down the hall, knocking into the wall a few times until Castiel opened his door, light streaming into the hall.

"You know, we're supposed to be in our rooms before lights out so that doesn't happen." Castiel said in amusement.

"Shut the hell up Cassie. What happened with you and Dean anyway?" Gabriel retorted as he pushed open his door and flicking on the light. He turned to see his brother giving him a confused look.

"I don't understand. What happened with what?"

"Are- are you kidding me? Seriously Cassie? He's been hitting on you and flirting with you all damn day, and you guys finally get time alone, and you're on opposite ends of the couch!" Gabriel exclaimed, being mindful to keep his voice down so they didn't get busted. Castiel looked completely puzzled by this point, so Gabriel threw his arms up in defeat, muttering a goodnight over his shoulder as he retreated into his room. As he got ready for bed, he couldn't help but think about Sam and his gigantuan hands and his ridiculously soft lips and- No. He wasn't going to get any sleep at this rate. He crawled into bed, deteremined to not think about Sam, but found himself drifting off to sleep and doing just that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'm sorry. For, like, all of it. The Sabriel part just wrote itself. And again I'm sorry if it takes forever to update again. Please don't hate me!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one basically wrote itself today. And before I knew it, it was over 4500 words. This time it will actually be a little while before I can update it again, as I'm going for a short road trip then I have lots of stuff to do, but I'll update as soon as I can! Also, warning, lots of Destiel feels and fluff here. Background Sabriel.

Castiel awoke with a start as a loud, harsh rap sounding on his bedroom door. He groaned, rolling over to bury his face in his pillow. Ignoring the slightly quieter knock that was most likely placed on Gabriel's door, he closed his eyes in an attempt to go back to sleep.

"Novak! Up, now!" A yell came through the door, startling Castiel into action. With another groan, he pushed himself up into a kneeling position, still facing his pillow. "Novak!" came the voice again.

"I'm up, geez." Castiel yelled back, and he could hear Gabriel yelling profanities through the door. Trust Gabriel to make his life worse. Then again, the guy wasn't a morning person on a good day, let alone when he was trapped in a religious prison-slash-psych ward. Releasing one last groan for good measure, Castiel rolled so his feet were finally planted on the floor. He sat for a moment, and then struggled off the bed, eyes and head still fuzzy with sleep. Glancing at his phone, he hung his head, dragging himself to the shower. He had almost a full hour to be dressed and downstairs, so he decided to take his time with the shower. He turned on the water, letting it warm up while he stripped his clothes off, neatly folding his pajamas and placing them on his bed, dirty boxers being tossed into the hamper in the far corner.

The shower was warm and relaxing, almost too relaxing, so with a sigh, Castiel hesitantly stepped out, wrapping his towel around his waist. Just as he was opening the dresser drawer to grab some clean underwear, a quiet tap sounded at the door. He paused, unsure he had actually heard anything, when it sounded again. He marched over to the door, opening it wide enough to look out.

"Morning Cas. Can I come in?" Dean grinned at him.

"Uh," Cas stammered, moving aside to pull the door open further. Dean almost tripped when he saw what Cas was, or rather wasn't, wearing.

"Guess I got good timing, huh?" He beamed at Cas, who had retreated to the far side of the room to try and slip boxers on, holding the towel up to cover himself. Just as he slid the waistband into place, the towel slipped, dropping to the floor. He scowled in exasperation, not bothering with it as he stormed across the room to grab his uniform pants from the closet, Dean watching him the whole time. "Hey man, you alright?"

"I'm fine. Just pissed that my parents dumped my ass here. All because, oh no, heaven forbid, I like guys. I mean, what's the big deal anyway? The only difference between guys and girls is the parts. A person is a person. Gabriel likes both. He just said he was gay so they would send him with me. He's way too calm about the whole thing though. It's pissing me off more." Castiel ranted, abandoning the task of putting his pants on.

"Cas, buddy, I get it. When my dad died, we somehow ended up here. The fact that Sammy and I both play for the same team must have been the deciding factor when dad's pastor contacted foster care for us. It's stupid. Our Uncle Bobby tried to get custody of us, but because Dad hadn't named him a legal guardian, or godfather or anything, there's nothing he could do. He's not related by blood. That's why. But Cas," Dean said, trying to calm him down. Castiel refused to look him in the eye, so Dean approached him, placing his hands on Castiel's arms. "You're not alone here, alright? You've got me, and Gabriel, and Sammy. And even though the other guys seem distant and like they hate everyone, which they probably do, they know what hell this is, and they will have your back if anything happens too. Gabriel knows that you guys have support. That's why he's so relaxed about it all. He also met Sam here, so I don't think it's all that bad in his opinion." Castiel looked back down at the ground, so Dean pulled him closer, lifting his face to make him look at him. "And you met me. Still think it's so bad?" He grinned as Castiel blushed, suddenly becoming very self-conscious of the fact that he was wearing nothing but his boxers while a, admittedly, very attractive guy attempted to flirt with him. He pulled away suddenly, returning to the task of getting dressed. He pulled his slacks on, reaching up to grab a shirt from the closet when he felt arms snake around his waist and pull him into a hug.

"Wha- what are you doing?" He stuttered out, wiggling around to face Dean.

"Hugging you. Have you never been hugged before?"

"I have," Castiel smiled. "Just never when I'm half naked"

"Hey be thankful I waited until you were only half naked, and not while you were wearing nothing but a towel." Dean winked at him. Castiel laughed, wrapping his arms around Dean's neck, pulling him in for a proper hug.

"Thank you, Dean." He whispered. He felt Dean kiss the side of his head, causing him to panic. He jerked away, nearly tripping over his pant legs which had dropped down to cover most of his feet as he had yet to put a belt on.

"Cas, buddy, you alright? What happened?" Dean asked, worry flooding over his features.

"Uh, nothing. You, umm, you should probably go, before you get caught in here. Get us all in trouble." Cas murmured, pulling his shirt on quickly. Dean frowned, heading to the door and pulling it open without another word. As he opened the door, Gabriel opened his, a look of surprise clouding his face as he saw Dean emerge from his little brother's room, and said brother hurriedly getting dressed behind him.

"Hey Deano, what have you been up to this morning?" Gabriel asked with a grin, which quickly faltered as he saw the hurt look in Dean's eyes.

"Not now." Dean snarled, storming past Gabriel.

"What the hell did you do?" Gabriel asked incredulously as he wandered into Castiel's room, pushing the door closed behind him.

"I didn't do anything." Castiel answered.

"Fine, what didn't you do that you should have done?"

"Nothing." Castiel replied firmly, hinting at Gabriel to drop the subject. Unfortunately for him, Gabriel wasn't the type to drop something that easily.

"Cassie," Gabriel began, sitting down on his bed.

"He came to my room right as I was getting out of the shower," Castiel blurted out, another look of panic washing over his face.

"So, he saw you naked?" Gabriel asked, suddenly angry.

"No, no. He knocked, but I was only in my towel and I was stupid and let him in and I managed to put underwear on but then my towel fell and I kind of vented to him about how pissed off I am at being here in the first place and he was really close and then after I put my pants on, he hugged me, which was fine but then he like," at this point, Castiel choked, frustrated with himself, and Dean and Gabriel and his parents and his life in general.

"What did he do? I'll kill him." Gabriel swore, standing up abruptly.

"No, wait. Let me finish." Castiel protested, moving to block his brother from reaching the door. "He just kissed my head. Not like on the cheek or lips or anything, just right here," he explained, pointing to his temple.

"So what's the matter?"

"I panicked. I mean, last time a guy kissed me, Mom and Dad found out. Look at how that ended. I guess it's kind of like PTSD or something. I don't know. I just, I panicked and I told him he should leave before we got in trouble. I think I hurt him. Especially since he was just telling me that he was here for me and he wouldn't let anything bad happen to me. And then I treat him like this. I'm a terrible person," Castiel finished, sinking down onto his bed.

"No, Castiel, you're not." Gabriel dropped his arm across Castiel's shoulder, sitting down next to him. "You're just freaking out. You're too in your head. You over think everything and when you're doing the right thing you still think you're doing the wrong thing, and vice versa. You like guys, so that's right for you. Don't listen to our parents, they don't understand. Trust me, ok? Just calm down, explain to Dean what happened. Tell him you need things to slow down, like way down. He can't get mad at you for that. If he does, I'll kill him," Gabriel grinned at him. For such a little guy, he sure did like to threaten violence. Then again, he was ridiculously strong for his size, and he could have serious anger issues at times.

"Thanks Gabriel," Castiel smiled at him. He finished throwing his uniform on while Gabriel left, probably to go to Sam's room, then hurried out of his room. He realized he didn't know which room was Dean's, but he saw Gabriel at the far end of the hall, at what was presumably Sam's room. He took off down the hall to catch them before the door closed, but Gabriel just pointed at the door behind him. Castiel paused halfway there, trying to compose himself. He approached much slower, stopping again before he knocked on the door. He could hear some sort of rock music playing quietly through the door, and knocked hesitantly. After a moment, he could hear shuffling noises, then the door was ripped open.

"Cas," Dean looked him over in surprise.

"I need to apologize. Can I come in?" Cas said quietly, looking down at the floor.

"Uh, sure." Dean stepped aside, closing the door behind Castiel, who was still looking at the floor.

"Look, Dean, I'm going to tell you exactly what I told Gabriel while he was looking for reason to kill you. I panicked. The last time a guy kissed me, my parents caught us, and now look where I am. I just- I'm not ready for this. For any of this. I'm sixteen and I've already been kicked out of my house, and if I'm not 'cured' then I'll most likely be disowned. And I pretty much have to be disowned in order for Gabriel to get custody of me when he turns eighteen. But at the same time, it's terrifying to think that I won't have a family anymore. Just because I'm different and I see things differently." Castiel blurted out, eyes never leaving the floor. He felt his eyes begin to tear up, and felt arms encircle him once more.

"Cas, I get it, I really do. But I promise you, Sam and I will always, always, be there for you and Gabriel. And Gabriel. He could have kept quiet and still be sitting content at home, but instead he chose to protect you, and come with you. If that's not the definition of family, I don't know what is." Dean soothed him, holding him tight against his chest as Castiel tried to keep himself together. The stress, however, was too much, and he starting crying into Dean's chest, taking comfort in the soft strokes through his hair and down his back. "Wait a second, why was Gabriel looking for a reason to kill me?" Dean spluttered randomly.

"Oh," Castiel laughed, pulling back from Dean slightly. "After you stormed off, he came in and asked what I did but I was still panicking and upset so he thought you did something to hurt me." Dean chuckled lightly, using one hand to wipe at the tears that had streaked down Castiel's face.

"You're absolutely adorable, you know that?" Dean asked. Panic began to creep back into Castiel's, incredibly, blue eyes, and Dean pulled him in tight again. "Hey, no. Listen to me. Nothing bad is going to happen to you, do you understand me? Once Gabriel and I are eighteen, we'll get custody of you and Sam, and there's no way they can keep you here. Being gay is not a crime." Dean said, not loosening his hold at all.

"But Crowley..." Castiel began before Dean cut him off.

"Is a menace to society. He's violent and vicious, and he had some drug stint too. The court ruled he stay here as opposed to being locked up somewhere else. Same with Nick, dude's a pyromaniac. If Balthazar doesn't get himself in check, he'll be here a while too. He likes to play tricks on people, harmful tricks. He goes all out, too far. But us? They can't hold us. They have nothing on us. No dirt, no proof that we've done anything wrong. The other three all have criminal records. Just relax, and we'll just make sure we don't get caught doing anything, alright? The worst they'll do is lecture us and pray for us," Dean finished with an eye roll. Castiel looked up at him, and Dean could see the panic and fear were mostly gone from his features, a hint of worry lingering in his eyes.

"Thanks Dean," Castiel said again with a smile. Dean grinned back, placing a kiss to Castiel's forehead before looking at his watch.

"Shit, we gotta go." Dean grimaced. "It's five to." Castiel nodded and Dean slipped out the door. He waved a moment later through the gap between the door and frame, indicating it was safe for Castiel to come out. Castiel could hear Gabriel chuckle in the room across the hall so he rapped on the door. There was a small thump and Sam pulled the door open a crack a moment later.

"We have to go, come on," Castiel murmured to Sam, who called Gabriel over his shoulder. Gabriel popped up from the far side of the bed and Castiel realized the thump was probably him rolling off the bed to hide in case it was a teacher. Together, the four boys walked downstairs into the dining hall, where everyone else was taking their seats, all in the same place as the previous night.

Breakfast progressed similar to dinner, with the wait staff bringing out plates of food, Principal Naomi leading the table in prayer and saying grace, everyone eating in silence, then Principal Naomi explaining how the day would progress as the table was cleared.

"Class starts at nine. You will be in class until twelve thirty, until we break for lunch, with a twenty minute break at Professor Perth's discretion. Classes will resume at one fifteen, giving you forty five minutes for lunch. You will have another twenty minute break, and classes will let out at four. We will ring the bell when dinner is ready, as you boys heard last night. Any questions?" Gabriel and Castiel both shook their heads no. They still had twenty minutes before class started, so they wandered out of the dining hall with the rest of the boys when they were dismissed, while the teachers stayed to have coffee and probably talk about how awful they all were. The brothers all strolled into the TV room, when Castiel realized he hadn't seen the other boys in there.

"Where are the others? Did they already go to the classroom? And where were they last night?" Castiel asked Dean, puzzled as he remembered they hadn't been there last night either.

"They sneak out to the backyard. The front door is always locked, and only the teachers have keys to get out, this being the equivalent of a psych ward and all, but the back door is generally open. They know better than to try and climb the fence or anything, so the teachers don't really care all that much." Dean explained, dropping onto the couch.

"What happens if they climb over the fence?" Castiel asked cautiously, sitting down a little ways from Dean, who frowned slightly.

"Nothing really. But there's basically no way out of town. They could try and escape during the day, when the train station is open, but it's too easy to be noticed as missing during the day, and being such a small town, the cops would be on their asses before they even made it there. And if they go at night, everything is closed and there's literally no way out of town. Until nine in the morning when the first train leaves that is. Again, they'd be noticed missing and the cops would have them. Since the other three all have records and court orders to be here, they're smart enough to just stay and finish their sentence. And if we tried it, cops would haul us back here since we're minors. Runaways aren't well liked around here." Dean finished, reaching out a cautious hand in an attempt to take Castiel's to try and calm him down again. Castiel jumped when Dean's fingers brushed against his hand, scooting further away and folding his hands in his lap. He was still terrified of someone catching them doing anything even remotely gay, no matter how much Dean reassured him. Dean looked slightly hurt, but he understood and gave Castiel a sad smile regardless, telling him it was ok. Sam and Gabriel watched the exchange from where they sat on the other couch, Gabriel lying with his head in Sam's lap. Gabriel opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but the sudden appearance of Crowley in the doorway kept him quiet.

"Oh get a room, would you?" he sighed when he saw Gabriel's head in Sam's lap, moving to sit on the third couch. He slumped against it, head falling back with his eyes closed.

"What's the matter, Fergus, not a morning person?" Gabriel snickered. Crowley's eyes flew open as his head whipped up to glare at Gabriel.

"It's Crowley!" He snarled, clenching his fists. "And if you don't shut your mouth, you won't even be a person." Gabriel chuckled.

"Oh I'm only bugging you. Geez loosen up would you?" Gabriel taunted. Crowley growled again as he got up and stormed towards the classroom just as a bell rang.

"Great, we're late." Dean muttered, dragging himself off the couch. The four of them took off down the hall, receiving a glare from Professor Perth as they slid into their seats, Sam and Gabriel across from each other, while Dean and Castiel sat on opposite sides of their brothers so they weren't facing one another for the day. Sam shrugged his shoulders as the professor launched into some lecture, which Castiel really wasn't listening to. He was too busy thinking about Dean and how much he was screwing things up with his paranoia and anxiety.

By the time the professor called for break, Castiel had entirely tuned him out. He had his arms folded over the table, his chin resting on them. Glancing around, he realized most of the boys were in a similar state. A look at the clock revealed it was already after eleven, which meant he had been zoned out for over two hours. Gabriel clapped him on the shoulder as everyone stood up to walk around. Since they had twenty minutes to kill, the two sets of brothers made their way back to the TV room. Sam and Gabriel collapsed on their usual couch, speaking in hushed voices to one another. Dean rolled his eyes and assumed his usual spot, flicking the TV on as he went by. Castiel followed him, sitting closer than last time, but still far away enough there was no contact between them.

"Dean, I'm sorry," he began, but Dean cut him off with a wave.

"Don't be, Cas. If you're not interested then I get it. I'll back off." Dean began to get up, to move to the third couch, but Castiel put his hand on Dean's arm to stop him.

"That's not it. I am interested. But like I said earlier, I'm panicking. I'm paranoid of getting caught again. It's seriously stressing me out." He began to explain quietly, noticing the other two had gone silent, most likely to eavesdrop. Dropping his voice further, he continued. "Dean, I am interested. I really am. But, can we just take things really, really slowly? I'm not as confident as Gabriel, and as long as I'm in here, I'm probably going to panic more." Dean's face lit up when Castiel said this.

"Of course, Cas. If that's what you need. But you gotta talk to me man. You can't just pull away from me like that. I need to know what's going on with you. Deal?"

"Deal." Castiel smiled at him, squeezing his arm lightly before retracting his hand. Dean reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling it back towards him.

“Didn’t we just talk about this?” Dean grinned at him. Castiel smiled shyly, leaving his hand in Dean’s grasp. Sam and Gabriel chuckled from their little nest on the other couch, but at the glares from Dean and Castiel, they returned to whatever private conversation they were having. They sat like that for a while, sitting far enough apart that they weren’t touching, aside from their hands which were joined in the space between them, until Crowley stuck his head in again.

“Come on, love birds. Our break is just about over.” He said with a sigh, disappearing out of the room again. All four boys groaned and rolled their eyes, preparing themselves for the next hour of lectures they had left before lunch, and followed Crowley down the hall, back into the classroom.

Having resolved the issues with Dean, Castiel decided to sit across the table from him, which, in hindsight, maybe wasn’t his brightest idea. Almost as soon as he sat down, he was zoning out again, staring off into space, which just so happened to be right at Dean’s face level. Castiel wasn’t sure how long he had been staring at Dean when he realized Dean was waving his hand in front of his face. Blinking rapidly, he tried to focus his gaze, only to see a look of concern on his face.

‘You ok?’ Dean mouthed. Castiel nodded, smiling at him.

‘Lost in your good looks,’ he mouthed back. Dean grinned one of his devilish smirks in response.

“Mr Winchester!” Professor Perth yelled. Dean looked at him innocently. “You seem to be quite amused by something, judging by the horrendous smirk on your face. Care to share with the rest of the class?”

“I don’t think the rest of the class wants to know,” Dean grinned mischievously at him.

“And why is that?” The professor snapped.

“Well if you really must know, I’m thinking about my boyfriend and how incredibly hot he is and how I can’t wait to make out with him and-“

“That’s enough!” Professor Perth snarled, cutting Dean off.

“Hey, you asked after I told you not to. It’s your own fault.” Dean protested. He knew he was already in shit, might as well keep going. Castiel tried to stifle a snicker, seeing Gabriel and Sam shaking as they attempted to do the same.

“You think this is funny?” he continued to yell.

“Actually, yes,” a British voice chimed in. The brothers all turned to see Balthazar with a huge grin on his face, Nick and Crowley laughing beside him.

“This is not funny!” The professor was red in the face, almost screaming now.

“Well, to be fair, Dean was just smiling at something. Maybe something you said reminded him of an old joke with friends, an inside joke that he didn’t want to share with everyone. I have inside jokes with my friends back home, and they mean something to us. No one wants to share an inside joke. That’s why it’s called-” Nick began before the professor snarled at him to shut up.

“I’m sorry, Professor Perth. Nick is right, I was just thinking of an inside joke and I didn’t think it was fair that I had to share it. I went overboard.” Dean said, faking sincerity. The professor’s face changed from red to purple to blue and back to red.

“Just. Get. OUT.” He screamed at them. “All of you, out!” No one had to be told twice. They scurried out of the hall as fast as they could, locking themselves in the TV room to dissolve in a fit of giggles.

“Guys, I think he might have an aneurysm or something.” Crowley managed to choke out, taking deep breaths to try and stop the laughter bubbling up.

“He’ll be fine,” Balthazar chuckled, dropping onto one of the couches.

“Oh my God, you guys that was great. That just made this whole ordeal so much better.” Gabriel said, wiping tears from his eyes.

“That was pretty great, huh? Hey, thanks for that guys. Really. Now at least we’ll all get detention instead of just me.” Dean grinned at them. Nick clapped his shoulder as he passed to sit next to Balthazar who just grinned at Dean.

“No worries. They need to learn to take a joke anyway. Speaking of, do you mind sharing why we got ourselves in trouble too?” Balthazar asked, pausing to see how Dean would react. Dean opened and closed his mouth, unsure of what to say. He owed it to them to tell them the truth, after what they did for him, but at the same time, he didn’t know how Cas would take it. Fortunately, he was spared from having to answer.

“I was flirting with him.” Castiel chimed in suddenly, lowering his gaze to the floor.

“Hey, if it’s some secret, that’s fine. Just figured I’d ask. You could just say you don’t want to talk about it.” Balthazar put his hands up in surrender.

“Actually, he’s telling the truth. He was flirting with me.” Dean stated. All eyes turned to look at Castiel, who blushed and dropped his gaze to the floor for the umpteenth time that day.

“Really Cassie?” Gabriel gave him a proud grin.

“I was zoned out,” Castiel huffed in response. There was a moment of silence as everyone tried to figure out what that had to do with flirting. “I zoned out, and it just happened that I was staring at Dean the whole time. I didn’t realize it because he wasn’t sitting up when I zoned out. I noticed him waving his hand in front of my face.”

“I was wondering,” Sam trailed off, letting Castiel continue.

“Anyway, he asked if I was ok, so I told him I was lost in his good looks. Then the teacher yelled at him for smiling.” Castiel finished quietly. Everyone looked at him, impressed that this awkward teenager managed to cause the biggest upset of the year so far.

“Good job, kid. Welcome to the family,” Nick smirked at him.

“The family?” Castiel questioned slowly.

“The demon family, the only family those of us in this hellhole have. We’ve all either been disowned by our parents, or they’re dead, so we make our own family. So, welcome to the family, Novaks.” Crowley finished, turning to include Gabriel in the so called family. Dean draped his arm over Cas’ shoulders, giving him a quick kiss to the temple, like he had that morning. Sam pulled Gabriel closer to his side, beaming down at the much shorter boy.

“Now we just need to survive lunch.” Castiel commented. Everyone nodded, settling onto various couches as they waited for a good time to go to the dining hall. It was going to be a nightmare, Castiel thought warily, sinking down next to Dean, this time close enough that their shoulders brushed, and Dean rested his hand easily on Castiel’s thigh. Castiel dropped his head down to rest against Dean’s shoulder, and Dean leaned over to kiss Castiel’s head.

“See? You’re already more confident. And let me just say, it’s freaking adorable.” Dean whispered into his hair. Castiel chuckled in response, nudging his elbow lightly into Dean’s side. Maybe things here weren't so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not sorry?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry it's taken so long to update! I've been super stressed out and busy lately, but I'm back!
> 
> This is a slightly shorter chapter than usual, but I'll post more soon!

After a while, the boys decided it was time to face whatever happened to come their way. They hauled themselves off the couches and shuffled into the dining hall, where a very red faced Professor Perth stood next to an equally angry looking Principal Naomi. Under the intense glare she was giving them all, they hurried into their seats, waiting for the verbal onslaught they knew was coming. When she only continued to glare at them, Dean spoke up.

“Principal Naomi, I apologize for my earlier outburst. I was simply frustrated with Professor Perth for yelling at me for smiling. I was simply reminded of one of my classes back home, and my best friend, and when Professor Perth began yelling at me, I responded irrationally and childishly.” Dean spat out before anyone could interrupt him.

“You are not the only one guilty in this situation, Mr Winchester. All of your classmates seem to think it is perfectly acceptable to disrespect the faculty of this school, and frankly, we’ve allowed it to go on for far too long. As a result, classes on Saturday will be cancelled, and you will all serve detention instead. You may wear your own clothing, as we don’t want our uniforms getting ruined, now do we. The grounds have started to look disheveled, and you will all assist in making this school look presentable once again. Professor Perth will be in charge of assigning duties, and you will listen to him, do as you’re told, and you will not disrespect him. Is that understood?” Principal Naomi snapped at them, to which she received half-hearted nods. “I can’t hear you!” She screamed, a chorus of ‘yes ma’am’ answering her. She nodded her head in satisfaction, taking her seat at the head of the table, while Professor Perth sat down next to her with a smug look on his face.

The rest of lunch was uneventful and quiet, not even the three demons daring to speak. The group was already in enough trouble for one week. When they were waved off after lunch, Principal Naomi spoke again.

“Gabriel Novak, instead of returning to class you will meet with Professor Mills for a private session. Go towards the back of the stairs, you’ll see her office on the left. Castiel Novak, you will see her as soon as Gabriel returns to class.” With that, Principal Naomi marched out of the hall. The Novak brothers groaned, turning to follow the rest of the boys back to the TV room.

“Don’t worry, it’s actually not that bad. They’ll tell you that you’re sick, that it’s a disease, and try and coach you to cure it. I just ignore it,” Dean grinned as they walked in the room, reaching his hand out for Castiel to take, which he did reluctantly.

“How’s that working for ya, Deano?” Gabriel grumbled, sitting down on Sam’s lap, who began to rub circles on his back. Dean scowled, turning his attention back to Castiel.

“He’s right, it’s really not that bad. Just nod, say what you think they want you to say. Mainly along the lines of you know you’re sick and you need help, and blah blah blah. If you play your cards right, you could have them convinced right away that you’re cured and they’ll let you out as soon as you turn eighteen. As it is, Dean will be here until he’s thirty,” Sam chuckled quietly, trying to comfort his… He didn’t really know. “Hey Gabe?”

“Yea Samoose?”

“What exactly are we?” Sam questioned.

“I dunno, abominations in my parents’ eyes? Diseased? Damned to hell?” Gabriel listed, unsure what Sam was asking.

“Well no, I know that’s what people think. But I mean us, like our relationship or whatever you want to call this. It just kind of happened. Are we, like, together? As in, can I call you my boyfriend?” Sam fumbled for words, trying to keep his voice quiet so the others didn’t overhear. The demons were sitting on the far couch murmuring quietly between themselves, while Dean and Castiel were still having some private discussion that Sam didn’t even want to think about, knowing his big brother.

“I’d say so,” Gabriel replied simply, leaning in to place a quick kiss to Sam’s lips. Sam grinned up at him wrapping his arms around his waist to pull him closer. Just then, the warning bell for class rang, a loud groan escaping all the boys as they began to pry themselves off the couches and shuffled out the door. Gabriel grimaced, still not looking forward to his meeting, despite Sam’s quick kiss of encouragement. Castiel gave him a half-hearted smile, while Dean clapped his shoulder as he passed them. He dragged his feet down the hall, procrastinating for as long as he could, pausing outside the door before taking a deep breath and knocking lightly. A moment later the door was whipped open, Professor Mills looking up slightly at him. She was surprisingly short, probably around five feet, with white curly hair that looked so wispy that it might fall out any second. She stepped back, motioning Gabriel into the room.

“Mr Novak, how are you today?” She said in a voice that could almost be considered frail, except you could tell that she could get some power to it if she really wanted to. She sat down behind a large wooden desk, motioning for Gabriel to sit in the plush armchair across from her.

“Fine, I guess. How are you?” Gabriel replied timidly, hoping to get on her good side right off the bat.

“I am well, thank you,” She beamed at him. This was off to a good start. Gabriel let out a shaky breath, preparing for whatever came next. “So, Mr Novak, tell me about yourself.” Gabriel paused, slightly confused by the question. He had been expecting something about why he chose to be gay, or why he thought he was sick, not something so simple.

“Please, call me Gabriel. Everyone else does. Mr Novak is my father.” He smiled politely at her.

“Very well then, Gabriel, tell me about yourself.” She nodded, writing something on the clipboard in her lap.

“Well, there’s nothing overly exciting about me, and I’m sure you’ve got some sort of report or something from my parents.” He began, trailing off so she could give him some indication as to what exactly she wanted to know.

“What are your hobbies, your favourite food, basic things as such. I’m trying to get to know you, Gabriel.” She prodded.

“Very well. I like anything sugary. Candy and sweets are pretty much all I need to live. I enjoy making jokes and playing a good, harmless, of course, prank on people. And my dog. I absolutely love my dog. I wish I could have brought him here. I don’t read much, but TV is always entertaining. There’s some sort of drama or something amusing to watch. That’s about it really.” He listed off, trying to think of anything else to satisfy her. She nodded, scribbling on her clipboard the entire time. It made Gabriel want to reach over and break it over her head. He hated people who tried to judge you based on how you said something or the way you sat. “What about you Professor? Got any hobbies?” Gabriel asked sweetly. Her writing faltered for a second as she considered what Gabriel had just asked her.

“This is not the time or place to discuss my business, Mr Novak,” she replied curtly, frowning at him over the clipboard.

“Why not? You said you wanted to get to know me, maybe I would feel more comfortable if I knew something about you.” Gabriel replied flatly, fighting to keep a smile on his face.

“It is unprofessional. Now, Gabriel, why don’t you tell me about why you’re here?” She asked, feigning sweetness as she stared him down, pen tapping lightly on her notes. Gabriel gritted his teeth, trying to compose himself before answering.

“Because I happen to be gay. Well, I’m bi actually. So I like both boys and girls. Because it’s a sin and my parents hoped you could help both me and my dear little brother, who seems to have fallen prey to this disease as well.” He smiled at her, hoping it would pass for sincerity. She just nodded, continuing to scribble away. When he didn’t continue, she paused, looking at him expectantly.

“And what about you? Do you hope we can help cure you?” She prompted.

“I believe you can, yes.” He said simply, leaving it at that.

“Very well, and why do you think you are the way you are?” She pried further, still scratching in her notes.

“I don’t know. It’s like my brother and I are cursed. We both fell victim to this disease, and we don’t even know when we got it, or how. But I do know that we need help to cure it. So will you help us? I still like girls so that means that it hasn’t entirely consumed me, right?” Gabriel asked, pretending to be hopeful. In his head, he was thinking of at least twenty different ways he could kill her right now, most involving that clipboard.

“Well, Gabriel, I can’t really cure you. That’s something that you must accomplish. I can, however, guide you in your journey to rid your soul of this illness. But you must be willing to do so.” Gabriel nodded his head enthusiastically, the biggest and cheesiest smile he could manage plastered on his face.

“I am willing!” He added eagerly. It did the trick.

“Very well, I would like you to come see me every Tuesday and Thursday after lunch.” She said, scribbling one last note before placing the clipboard on the desk. Gabriel caught a glimpse of it, and she had scribbled all over one entire page. “Now, if you would be so kind as to retrieve your brother from class for me,” Professor Mills trailed off, indicating he was dismissed. Gabriel nodded, giving her another faked smile before getting up and leaving her office. Once he was around the corner, he slumped against the wall, resisting the urge to start beating his head off it. It would be less of a headache, he thought. Instead he sighed, rolling his eyes a few times as he thought back to their conversation, and trudged down the hall to get poor Castiel.

“Mr Novak, you’re up.” Dr Thomas said to Castiel as he saw Gabriel hovering in the doorway. “Gabriel you may take your seat.”

“I’m supposed to show Cassie here to the office. He gets lost so easily. Be back in a flash!” Gabriel lied, slipping back out of the classroom. Castiel followed him quickly.

“What’s going on, Gabriel?” He asked innocently.

“Look, she should be expecting you right away. Just play along, be super polite and keep a smile on your face no matter what she says, alright? If she asks why you’re here, it’s because you’re gay and it’s a sin and a disease and you want to be cured. Just play along, alright Cassie?” Gabriel powered through his little pep talk, cutting off Castiel’s protests.

“This isn’t right, Gabriel. We shouldn’t have to lie about who we are, and pretend we’re not.” Castiel protested anyway.

“I know, Cassie. I know. But right now, it’s what we have to do if we ever want to get out of here. The way Dean is going, he won’t get out of here when he turns eighteen. So, if we prove that we’ve been cured of this so called disease, they might be more willing to let Sam and Dean out if we promise to ‘reform’ them.” Gabriel said quietly, using air quotes to get his point across. “Look, Cas, just play it cool alright? Go in there and make her believe you are the most innocent thing- well, that won’t be hard, but you know what I mean.” Castiel squinted at his brother, half as a glare and half in curiosity. Sam must really be getting to Gabriel, because Gabriel didn’t care what happened to anyone besides himself and his family. He gave one last little nod before turning around the corner to enter the professor’s office. Gabriel sighed, leaning back against the wall to take another deep breath to steady himself. “Don’t screw this up, Cassie,” Gabriel whispered to the empty hallway before heading back to the classroom and taking his seat across from Sam, tapping his leg with his foot to shoot him a quick smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Castiel's meeting will be posted soon!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel's meeting with Professor Mills... And what happens next. *dramatic music playing*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I am a terrible person and for that I am so sorry. This awful thing that people refer to as life got in my way, and even worse, this pure evil known as work. It's been a super crazy week with birthdays and the lunar eclipse and people moving away and I haven't had the time to write that I thought I would. Please don't hate me :(

Castiel stormed through the open door, a scowl already set across his features. Professor Mills turned around in surprise from where she stood looking out the window, quickly rearranging her face into a cheerful expression, gesturing for him to be seated.

“Mr Novak,” she greeted, settling into her own chair.

“Professor,” he replied curtly, not smiling at her, which caused the corners of her mouth to twitch downwards as she struggled to keep a pleasant smile.

“What brings you here, Mr Novak?” She inquired, forgoing the small talk.

“I was dragged out of class as per Principal Naomi’s orders.” 

“That’s not what I meant. Why are you here, at our school?” She pressed.

“Because my parents couldn’t stand the thought of me being different. They’re ashamed of me, so they sent me off to become your problem.” He snapped.

“Why are they ashamed of you, Castiel?” She prodded, encouraging him to go on.

“Because I’m gay, dammit! Because I fucking love guys, and they’re so close minded they can’t accept that!” He was shouting now, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

“As they shouldn’t!” She shouted back, before taking a deep breath and lowering her voice. “You’re sick Castiel, and you need help. That’s why you’re here. Your parents aren't ashamed of you, they want to help you. They want to see you get better, be cured! This disease is not your fault. Let us help you, Castiel.” She had a pleading tone in her voice now, her expression sincere. Castiel scoffed.

“You know what? I was born sick, but I love it. And I love boys. Nothing you say or do will change that. So take your cure and shove it!” He spat bitterly, standing up so violently that the chair flew back a good foot. He stomped out, slamming the door behind him as he made his way to the TV room. He pushed the door closed quietly, curling up on the couch he usually shared with Dean, and began to sob softly.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat for, curled up with his arms wrapped around his knees, crying into them, but he suddenly became aware of someone sitting down next to him and pulling him into a tight hug. Castiel let go of his legs to wrap his arms around the newcomer, sobbing into his shirt. After a few minutes, he calmed down enough to pull away and look at the person comforting him.

“Dean?” He asked in surprise. He thought for sure they would send Gabriel of all people to find him and talk some sense into him.

“Shh, it’s okay angel.” Dean whispered, kissing the top of his head.

“Why are you here? How did you know where I was?” Castiel queried, choking back a sob. Dean rubbed slow circles into his back as he answered.

“After your meeting, Professor Mills came in and pulled Gabriel out to explain what happened, but he convinced her that you would listen to me more, so she sent me out. As for how I found you, she said the door was closed on her way here, and this door is almost always open, so she guessed you were in here. Turns out she was right.” Dean explained softly, wiping the tears that had fallen down his cheeks. He kissed Castiel’s forehead, still rubbing circles on his back as Castiel tried to return his breathing to normal.

“I’m sorry Dean. Gabe must be so mad at me. He told me exactly what to say and I couldn’t just play along for one fucking day.” Castiel growled out in frustration. He was disappointed in himself, and he knew how Gabriel would feel. “God, I’m such an idiot!”

“Hey, Cas, no you’re not. Sammy’s been telling me what to say for almost a year now and I still can’t figure out how to not screw up. But it’s not your fault. It’s theirs for forcing this on us to begin with. Besides, once Gabriel turns eighteen he’ll get custody of you, so it doesn’t matter if you play along or not. We’ll make it through this, alright?” Dean reassured him, pulling Castiel tight against his chest, running his fingers though the shaggy mop of black hair, kissing Castiel’s forehead again. Castiel had started crying softly again, a sound that made Dean’s usually icy heart hurt. He leaned back so he was sprawled out on the couch, pulling Castiel down so he was lying on top of his chest, continuing to rub his back and play with his hair as Castiel continued to cry in frustration and defeat.

“Dean,” Castiel choked out, still crying into Dean’s chest.

“Shh, angel, just relax ok? Just relax, don’t let it or them get to you. You did nothing wrong. Shh, it’s okay angel, I’m here. You’re going to be okay.” Dean murmured softly to him repeating the same sentences over and over until Castiel’s sobs subsided once again, and his breathing returned to normal. Looking down, Dean realized he had fallen asleep. He smiled to himself, pulling Castiel in closer and keeping his arms wrapped tight around the smaller man, fingers still tangled in his dark hair.

 

Sam was rubbing Gabriel’s arm, trying to calm him down. He wasn’t mad, per se, just disappointed and upset with his little brother. He should have known Cas wouldn’t keep it together, he’d been pretending to be way too cool with things since the first incident with the tie, and Gabriel knew it wasn’t normal for him to be so calm. He could be like a ticking time bomb, unsuspecting but ready to explode. He was always stressing about things back home, homework, chores, making curfew, but whenever he pretended he was calm and collected, he would explode soon after.

“I should have known, Sam. I should have realized he wasn’t alright. He never is unless he’s stressing about something or other. And now look what happened.” Gabriel paced anxiously back in forth in the hallway outside the classroom, Dr Thomas having sent them on their break shortly after the interruption from Professor Mills.

“Gabe, calm down, alright? It doesn’t matter. He’s not harmful or a danger to anyone or anything, the only way they might be able to keep him here is if he has more outbursts like that, in which case they’ll claim anger issues. We just need to talk to him, you, me and Dean. Alright? Come here.” Sam pulled him into a hug, squeezing the much shorter boy to his chest, almost crushing him with the force.

“I know, Sam, I’m just worried about him.” Gabriel muttered into his boyfriend’s chest. Sam rubbed his back, sighing as he tried to think of something to comfort him.

“I know you are,” was all Sam could think to say, kissing his boyfriend’s head again.

"What's wrong with the little one?" Crowley asked, approaching Sam and Gabriel.

"His meeting with Professor Mills didn't go so well." Sam replied with a sigh. Gabriel just nodded, snuggling closer to Sam.

"Ah. They never do seem to go well, do they?" Came Crowley's response.

"Mine went just fine." Gabriel shot back. "He just cracked under the pressure I put on him." He added quietly.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, he probably still did better than I have before. Don't beat yourself up over it, it's nothing really." Crowley clapped him on the shoulder, heading back into the classroom for the end of break.

"Professor Mills thinks he went into the TV room, let's go get them." Gabriel said quietly, pulling away from Sam, who draped an arm around the shorter boy, walking with him. They opened the door, and sure enough Cas was curled up in Dean's lap, and he looked like he was sleeping. They shut the door behind them, the click of the latch alerting Dean to their presence.

"He's finally calmed down, but he's exhausted from the breakdown. I want to just let him sleep but I guess if you guys are on break then we don't have much time left before we're expected back in class, huh?" Dean muttered, stroking his hand through Castiel's hair, his other hand resting on his waist.

"Yeah, we're due back in a couple minutes. You might be able to get away with skipping class for the rest of the day if we tell Dr Thomas you're still working on calming him down." Sam suggested, shrugging. "If he wakes up, maybe take him to his room, or yours? That way when we're out of class we won't bother you guys when we come in here." Dean nodded slowly, thinking through Sam's suggestion.

"Yeah, maybe I'll do that." Dean agreed. "But not until he wakes up. We're fine here for a while." He continued to run his fingers through Castiel's hair, rubbing small circles into his hip with the other hand. Castiel stirred in his sleep, stretching out so his face was buried in Dean's stomach, legs sprawled out across the couch and one arm slung around Dean's waist.

"Take care of my little brother," Gabriel warned, turning to head back into the classroom.

"Same goes for you! If you do anything to hurt Sammy I swear," Dean began, earning a glare from Sam while Gabriel just waved over his shoulder and left, Sam trailing behind him. Dean sighed, shifting slightly so he was more comfortable, careful not to wake Castiel who was still slumbering peacefully on the older boy.

Gabriel wandered back into class, Sam right behind him, and they took their seats at the table across from one another. They got a glare from Dr Thomas, who barked out that they were late before returning to his book that he had begun reading, having assigned them textbook reading and questions to answer. Sam glanced up at the three demons who were sitting behind Gabriel and shooting him a questioning look. He frowned slightly, mouthing the words 'Dean's with him' before putting his head back down to continue his work.

Shortly after Sam and Gabriel had gone back to class, Dean began to nod off, his fingers still tangled in Castiel's messy black hair while his other hand was draped over his slim waist. He was jostled back to consciousness when Castiel began moving again, and he looked down to see the younger boy blinking up at him in surprise, eyes still bleary with sleep.

"Morning Cas," Dean smiled down at him.

"Hey," Castiel smiled back. "How long was I asleep for?"

"I dunno, a while. Sam and Gabe came to check on you, they think you should take it easy for now. Why don't we go up to your room until supper? We can nap there and no one will bother us." Dean repeated Sam's earlier suggestion. Castiel nodded, before burying his face back in Dean's stomach. "Come on, sleepy head," Dean chuckled, sliding one arm under Castiel's chest to pull him up into a sitting position so he was curled up on Dean's lap. Castiel groaned, nuzzling his face into Dean's neck in an attempt to tell Dean not to move. "Nah uh. Up." Dean prodded, pushing Castiel into an upright position. With another groan, Castiel stood up, leaning back on Dean as soon as the taller boy was standing. Dean chuckled again, wrapping his arm around Castiel and forcing him to move.

"Won't you get in trouble if you go in my room?" Castiel whispered as they hurried up the stairs, hoping to not get caught in the process.

"Only if I get caught," Dean grinned back, pulling Castiel up the stairs. They made it to his room, and Dean pushed the door closed, locking it behind them. "Come on, angel, let's get you into bed." Dean murmured, reaching to pull Castiel's tie off for him. Castiel kicked his shoes off, throwing his Jacket down on the floor next to them before reaching to unbutton his shirt. His hands were still shaking, so Dean pushed his hands out of the way, making quick work of the buttons. Castiel jumped slightly at the brush of Dean's hands against his bare chest, his breath hitching when he realized that Dean was undressing him.

"Dean," he breathed, eyes making contact with the piercing green orbs in front of him. Dean froze, hands holding the open edges of Castiel's shirt as he was just about to push it off the smaller boy's shoulders. He loosened his grip on the shirt, which apparently was the opposite of what Castiel wanted. Castiel's hand shot up, wrapping around Dean's tie and pulling him forward into a sloppy kiss. Dean, caught off guard, stumbled into Castiel, knocking him over onto the bed. The force of the fall caused them to break apart, and Dean looked down at Castiel, laughing at how ungraceful they were. Castiel took advantage of the situation, rolling them over so he was straddling Dean's hips, leaning down to recapture Dean's mouth in a kiss.

"Easy there, angel," Dean laughed softly when they broke apart, panting heavily. Castiel chuckled back in response, leaning down to kiss Dean once again, much softer this time. Dean wrapped his arms around Castiel's waist, gently rolling them onto their sides and pulling him tight against his chest, returning the much slower yet more passionate kiss. Castiel shifted so his chest was pressed flush against Dean's, legs tangled together.

"Thank you, Dean." Castiel breathed in the scent of Dean, smiling sleepily at him.

"Anytime, angel. Now get some sleep, I'll be right here." Dean whispered back, kissing Castiel's nose as the dark haired boy drifted off, nuzzling his face into Dean's chest. As Dean slowly rubbed circles into Castiel's back, he found himself being lulled to sleep himself by the soft rhythmic rise and fall of Castiel's chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't promise that I'll update again soon. I'm moving again starting on Tuesday :(


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to take action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so, SO sorry for how long this chapter took :( I've had so much going on in the last 2 months, and I'm just now getting back to all my fanfiction, reading and writing included :( Here's a nice long chapter as an apology and I'm working on the next chapter already but I won't promise to upload it tomorrow because I know something will come up if I promise. I'm sorry <3

Gabriel mentally groaned, wanting to bang his head off the table until the doctor shut up. He glanced up at the clock, ten more minutes and they should be free from the constant drawl as Dr Thomas continued to dissect the book of Revelations this time. Looking over at Sam, he could tell the younger boy was in much the same state. He was slumped forward, zoned off and staring out the door of the so called classroom. Gabriel let his gaze wander over Sam, taking in the full extent of his features and trying to figure out why he had been drawn to the giant so fast. Normally, he was a player. He slept with anything that looked his way, guy or girl, and never got attached. He’d only been in one somewhat serious relationship, and he’d ended up cheating on her with her brother. Not one of his finest or proudest moments. Sam was, well, he was different. With his giant, lanky figure that was just starting to develop some muscles, and his caramel eyes that changed colour with his mood. His long hair usually hung in his face, brushing over his eyes when he scrunched his face up in a laugh, with slight highlights becoming more prominent when he shook his head. His face was almost delicate, but with the bitch faces and death glares Gabriel had seen over the past two days, he knew it wasn’t. So what was so interesting about Sam that Gabriel actually cared about him?

“You’re dismissed!” He heard before he had a chance to ponder further. The scrapping of the demon’s chairs jolted Sam out of his reverie, making him jump up and shoot a sheepish grin at Gabriel, who realized he was still staring. He hurried to his feet, scurrying out the door after Sam and the demons who were already disappearing into the TV room.

“Like what you see there, short stuff?” Sam teased quietly as Gabriel caught up with him just outside the door. He disappeared into the lounge before Gabriel could retort. With a huff, Gabriel stepped in, closing the door behind him as he met with expectant looks.

“Well?” Balthazar asked impatiently when Gabriel didn’t start speaking right away. Gabriel rolled his eyes before launching into the short story.

“Well what? Cassie had his meeting with Mills, and it didn’t go very well. She told him he was sick, which he’s not exactly on board with and he screamed at her before storming out and locking himself in here.”

“So where is he now? And where’d Squirrel go? Did they go to relax somewhere?” Crowley inquired, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Sam rolled his eyes.

“They’re upstairs in one of their rooms, sleeping it off. Cas was pretty upset about the whole thing and when we talked to Dean on break, he said Cas had exhausted himself. He was passed out on Dean when we saw him last.” Sam stated, shooting the demons another one of his infamous bitch faces.

“Easy there Moose, only teasing.” Crowley chuckled, which was greeted with a slightly more glaring version of the bitch face.

“Come on, Sam, let’s go find them.” Gabriel muttered quietly, turning and opening the door again. He padded down the hall and up the stairs, not even paying attention to see if Sam was behind him. When he stopped at the top of the stairs suddenly, he discovered Sam was indeed right behind him, so close that Sam collided with Gabriel’s back and almost tripped over him.

“What’s wrong?” Sam asked as Gabriel glanced around, a puzzled look on his face.

“I don’t actually know where they are.”

“Well, let’s go check Dean’s room, if they’re not there, we’ll check Cas’. There’s nowhere else they could be, right?”

“Oh, yeah, you’re right.” Gabriel looked down at his shoes dejectedly, concern for his little brother written all over his face.

“Come on,” Sam said soothingly, wrapping his arm around Gabriel’s shoulders as he led the shorter boy down the hall towards Dean’s room. Sam knocked softly on the door, opening it a moment later when he got no response. Sticking their heads in, the golden eyed pair saw the room was empty, leaving to go check Castiel’s room instead. Gabriel reached the door first, tapping it with his knuckles as he turned the knob, pushing it open before he got a response. His eyes widened slightly as he took in the sight of his brother, half naked, curled up against an equally bare Dean. Sam cleared his throat loudly as he leaned over Gabriel to look in the room. Dean jolted suddenly, sitting upright with a look of panic on his face.

“Shit, Sammy, don’t do that.” Dean muttered, looking down at Castiel, who began to stir as well. He rolled over to look up at Dean questioningly, becoming aware of his state of undress as Gabriel flicked on the light.

“It- it’s not-“ Cas stammered, moving to get away from Dean so fast he fell off the edge of the bed, hitting the floor with a thud. Gabriel rushed forward to check on his brother.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright Cas, it’s just us. Relax would you? We know, alright? We know.” Gabriel soothed, rubbing his younger brother’s arm reassuringly as Dean sat down behind Castiel, who looked like he might burst into tears any second.

“Cas,” Dean said worriedly. Castiel turned to look at Dean, reaching up to hug him. Dean pulled Castiel closer to him, letting the slightly smaller boy crawl into his lap. Gabriel frowned slightly before standing up to look down at the pair.

“What happened after we left?” Gabriel asked simply.

“Well, I kind of fell asleep too, but when Cas woke up I brought him up here. I didn’t want his uniform getting rumpled or anything so I helped him get his tie and shirt off, and then I ended up crawling in here with him,” Dean explained, gesturing towards the bed. “We fell asleep again but my tie was choking me so I woke up and pulled it off too. Next thing I knew, you two were bursting in here. Nothing happened, Gabe, so don’t worry so much.” Dean finished, reading Gabriel’s concern.

“Just looking out for my little brother,” Gabriel muttered back. Castiel was still sitting in Dean’s lap, face nuzzled into his neck, and Sam had closed the bedroom door, draping his arm around Gabriel’s shoulders again, gently running his hand up and down the top part of his arm.

“We need to figure something out. Between Dean’s, well, stubbornness and stupidity, and Cas’ hesitance to lie or play along, you two will never get out of here, and neither will I.” Sam began, moving to sit on the bed, pulling Gabriel into his lap. The shorter man opened his mouth to object, quickly shutting it in favour of cuddling up to Sam.

“Gee, thanks Sammy,” Dean scowled, still rubbing small circles into Castiel’s back.

“You’re welcome. We need a plan. Obviously we can’t always cover for each other, like in the counselling sessions. But we need to do something if we ever want to get out of here.” Sam continued, looking from Gabriel to Dean and Castiel, who had pulled his face far enough from Dean’s neck to look up at him.

“Preferably something that doesn’t involve me, because I’ll screw it all up for you guys,” Castiel mumbled, pushing his face back into Dean’s neck.

“Hey, none of that. If we all want out, we’re all going to have to work together.” Dean said firmly, tugging Castiel’s arm to get him to look up again. When he finally made eye contact with Sam again, he continued.

“Exactly. So, plan of attack?” There was a long moment of silence as everyone pondered Sam’s question.

“Well, if Dean and I keep lying through our teeth, actually, who am I kidding? If I keep lying, and Dean hops on board, we can at least try that route. In the meantime, we can help coach Cassie to play along with the whole thing, and in that sense, make them think we are helping with his ‘rehabilitation’,” Gabriel pondered out loud, making air quotes as he did.

“Right, then they might be willing to let us all leave together, if they see we are helping each other,” Dean finished the thought, the two younger boys nodding in agreement.

“When really we’re just helping each other lie,” Sam finished with a grin, earning a grimace from Castiel.

“Cassie,” Gabriel said, sliding from Sam’s lap so he was eye level with his little brother. “I know you hate lying. I know you do, I know that’s how you were raised. But look where that’s got you. I know you’re going to hate being here more than you hate lying, you already do. It’ll just be for a little while, until Dean and I are old enough to get custody of you guys, right?” He paused, waiting for Castiel to answer him, Sam and Dean looking on with anticipation. Finally, Castiel gave him a weak nod. “Right, good. Like I said, Dean and I will lie, make it look like we’re making progress. From what Sam’s told me, they think they’ve already cured him, or at least mostly. So he just has to keep it up for a little while longer. So then after you have all your counseling sessions, we’ll regroup and you can tell us what she wants from you. Then, we can figure out the best approach and coach you and your acting skills. Right? They’ll see us sitting down with each other, and you telling us about what you have to do next to be so called cured, and they’ll think we are helping you. We’re helping each other. Do you think you can do that for us Cassie?” Gabriel finished, once again waiting for Castiel to answer him. There was a long pause before Castiel slowly began to nod, looking up at Gabriel, Dean and then Sam, who were all beaming down at him.

“Great. Now why don’t you two get dressed before supper, and meet us down in the TV room so they don’t think we’re all in here?” Sam suggested, standing up and stretching. Dean and Castiel flushed, realizing suddenly that they were still shirtless. They separated, scrambling to find their own clothing as Gabriel and Sam peeked out into the hall to make sure it was clear before leaving.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after 2 days of writing, the next chapter is finally done. Not sure how I feel about it, so let me know how YOU feel about it! :D

“Hey Sam?” Gabriel asked quietly as they made their way downstairs.

“Yeah, Gabe?”

“Do you really think this will work?” Gabriel paused at the bottom of the stairs to look up at Sam, distraught. Sam looked at the dejected hunch in his shoulders, pulling him into a hug, not even caring if they got caught. Gabriel had put on a brave face in front of Castiel in order to encourage him, but the whole thing was clearly taking its toll on him as well.

“Definitely.” Sam smiled into Gabriel’s hair, quickly kissing the top of his head before pulling back just far enough to make it look like a comforting hug between friends, should a teacher make a sudden appearance. “Don’t worry about it so much Gabe, everything will work out just fine. I promise.”

Gabriel beamed up at Sam in response, opening his mouth to say something when they heard footsteps above them. They sprang apart, looking up sheepishly to see that it was only Dean and Castiel, who were both still blushing. What they had been doing to cause a blush, Sam didn’t want to know, and frankly, neither did Gabriel.

“We should probably go face the demons, they’ve actually been worried about you Cas,” Sam suggested, nodding to where the TV room door stood slightly ajar. Castiel nodded, the blush creeping further across his face as he realized that people actually did care about him. Dean ruffled his hair affectionately with a small smirk, pushing him gently towards the door.

“About bloody time you lot showed up.” Crowley greeted them, Balthazar and Nick falling silent as they entered the room.

“Well I’m sorry our lives don’t revolve around you,” Dean retorted, rolling his eyes as he pulled Castiel over to their usual spot.

“Your loss,” was all Crowley said in response before Balthazar jumped in.

“So? Have you figured out how you plan on surviving this place?”

“Well, Plan A didn’t exactly work, so we came up with a Plan B.” Sam began.

“Maybe you should try plan D, for Dumbass.” Crowley interjected, earning a glare from the Novaks and the infamous Bitchface of Epic Proportions from the Winchester brothers, a look which they only pulled when they really didn’t like someone. Crowley grinned innocently, putting his hands up to show he was finished.

“Now, if Fergus is done, I’ll explain.” Sam continued, procuring a snarl from Crowley. When nothing else, specifically death threats followed, Sam launched into the plan. “Basically, I’m going to keep doing what I’ve been doing for a year. As far as they’re concerned, I’m only here because my Uncle Bobby can’t have legal custody of me. Gabriel will also continue lying through his teeth, making them think he really wants to be cured, whatever that might mean. Dean will jump on board, coming to the realization that he too, is sick, thanks to Gabriel giving him guidance, and Cas will just continue the way he is.” The demons stared at him, mouths agape at how ludicrous the plan sounded.

“That’s going to get him locked up for anger management issues.” Nick replied after a minute.

“Not exactly. See, since Gabriel is already on the path to recovery, as they see it, and with me already cured, we can start working with Dean and Cas. Cas isn’t as open to the whole thing, as they’ve now experienced. Dean has been putting up with it a little longer, and he already started trying to play along before Gabe and Cas got here. So he just needs to get a little bit more on board, and then he’s home free. Then, once Cas sees the progress that Dean has made, and with his big brother’s guidance, he’ll start accepting it more too. What that actually means is that he’s not on board with the whole lying part, but after all of his meetings, he’ll tell us what he’s expected to do in order to get on the road to recovery, and we will coach him to do exactly what we say.” Sam finished out, earning slow nods from everyone else.

“So,” Nick paused, trying to phrase his question properly. “Basically, you’re trying to teach him to be more of a sinner, instead of less of a sinner, which the school thinks you’re doing?” The other demons snickered at that, while Castiel’s face fell further.

“Basically.” Dean supplied, rather unhelpfully. Castiel’s gaze dropped down to his hands, which he had clasped in his lap as he thought about what Nick had just said. Dean glanced over at Castiel, noticing how dejected he looked, and quickly realized his mistake. “No Cas, hey, it’s not like that.”

“You just said it was,” Balthazar pointed out, earning a glare from Sam and Gabriel, who still stood by the now closed door. Castiel sank further into the couch, deeper into his sulk.

“Not helping man.” Dean snapped, scooting closer to drop his arm around Castiel’s shoulder. Cas flinched at his touch, trying to relax as Dean froze, unsure what to do. “Hey, Cas, look at me.” Dean used his other hand to lift Castiel’s chin so he was forced to make eye contact with the piercing green gaze. “We live in a world of bigots. A world where, in order to survive with our sanity intact, we have to lie. Lying isn’t always a sin. It’s not a sin if it keeps you safe and sane, right? And besides, it’s really not even lying, it’s more acting than anything. You just have to act like what they’re saying is true and right. Act like they want you to, right?” Dean encouraged, which elicited a small smile and nod from Castiel, whose blue eyes stared more calmly back at Dean’s.

“You’re right. I’m over thinking this too much. Thanks, Dean.” Castiel smiled up at Dean, then dropping his head to rest against Dean’s chest. Dean smiled back, pulling Castiel tight against him.

“So what can we do?” Balthazar asked a few minutes later.

“What?” Gabriel answered.

“What can we do, you know, to help?”

“You want to help us?” Dean said quizzically, trying to understand what was being said.

“Well, obviously we want something in return.” Crowley spoke up now.

“Ah, there it is.” Crowley rolled his eyes at Dean.

“We want to help you in your little charade, but in return, you have to help us get out of here.” Balthazar continued, acting as the voice of the group.

“And how are we supposed to do that? You guys have screwed yourselves over pretty good. I fail to see how we can do anything to help you, whether we want to or not.” Sam interjected. There was a long pause.

“That’s the problem. We don’t know what else we, or you, can do to get us out of here faster. That’s where you guys come in.” Nick finally chimed in quietly. Another long stretch of silence followed as the group pondered everything. Just as Sam was about to speak up, the dinner chime rang.

“Dammit. Alright, we’ll try and come up with something, and in the meantime you guys will help us coach Cas, and probably Dean?” Sam bargained as he reached towards the door, not yet opening it.

“Deal.” The demons answered in unison. Everyone nodded, a deal in place, and Sam opened the door, the group filing into the dining hall and taking their seats, the brothers sitting next to the demons, an unspoken sign to the teachers that a pact had been made between the seven, and when one left, all the others would go with them.

Dinner passed in its seemingly usual fashion, where Principal Naomi would lead them through saying a prayer and grace, then silence as everyone ate, the group of boys shooting each other knowing looks across their plates, while the teachers pretended to ignore them. Finally, after half an hour of stifling silence, the dishes had been cleared and Principal Naomi cleared her throat to dismiss them.

“You may go. Gabriel, Castiel, I want you to stay for a moment, I need to speak with you.” Everyone else scurried out of the room, Gabriel and Castiel shooting them glares as they were left on their own with the four teachers, who had made no move to get up and leave.

“Yes, Principal Naomi?” Gabriel asked, feigning sweetness.

“Tomorrow morning when classes begin, I want the both of you to go and see Professor Mills. Then, depending on how that session goes, Castiel, you will try an independent session again after lunch. Is that understood?”

“Yes,” the Novak brothers mumbled, not looking forward to dealing with Mills again so soon. Naomi grimaced at their response before waving them off, indicating they were dismissed as well. Hurrying out of the room, they went straight to the TV room, where everyone else was waiting for them.

“What’d she want?” Sam inquired as they closed the door behind them.

“She wants us to do a session with Mills again tomorrow. I guess Cassie’s outburst didn’t sit well with her. Then, if that goes good she wants him to go by himself after lunch.” Gabriel scowled.

“Well, at least she gave you guys a heads up. Now we have a few hours to make a plan together, right?” Nick said simply. Everyone nodded. “I don’t suppose anyone came up with a plan to help us out either, huh?” Everyone shook their heads this time, silence settling over the room as everyone began to mull over the best route for the upcoming meeting.

Several hours passed before the silence was broken again. The majority of the group had given up, deciding by themselves that it was best to see how the meeting went and regroup at lunch, and were now watching Wipeout on the TV.

“I give up.” Gabriel spoke eventually, with about twenty minutes left before lights out. Everyone turned to look at him, surprised it had taken him so long.

“I think we all have. There are so many different angles they could play, I think it’s best if you two go in there, Gabe, you keep up the usual act and Cas… Just try to behave yourself and play along, alright?” Sam replied. The Novak brothers nodded, and the demons got up from their couch and stretched, getting ready to head up to bed before the main lights went out.

“We’ll regroup tomorrow after your meeting is over.” Nick said as they left the room, pulling the door closed behind him.

“Right,” Castiel muttered to the closed door.

“Don’t worry so much,” Dean murmured warmly into Castiel’s ear, kissing his temple softly.

“I’m trying not to. It’s just-“ He cut himself off, dropping his gaze into his lap once more.

“It’s just what? Come on angel, you can talk to me.” Dean lifted his chin up, forcing him to make eye contact.

“I know I’m going to screw up again. I always do. And even if I don’t, and Gabe manages to get us both out of here, where are we going to go? We can’t go home.” His face fell at the realization, remembering the fight before they had been sent off, and how his parents had sworn to disown them if they didn’t change. No way could they go back.

“You’ll come with us.” Sam stated. Gabriel and Castiel looked up at him, slightly surprised.

“But-“

“Sam’s right. Did you honestly expect us to not take you with us?” Dean interrupted Cas’ protest with a grin.

“Well no, but, where exactly are you two going to go?”

“Uncle Bobby’s.” The Winchester brothers said in unison, faces lighting up at the thought.

“He’d be alright with that?” Gabriel asked, suddenly concerned, and fearful of a repeat of their parents.

“Of course. Bobby tried to fight the court for custody of us when Dad died, but he’s not blood or legally named guardian so he couldn’t. Even though he knew about us, being gay and what not. He’s pretty great that way.” Sam was positively beaming now.

“But he would be ok with Cassie and I joining you guys?”

“Absolutely. He can be a grouch sometimes, but he loves us, and anyone we open up to. Friends of ours are friends of his.” Dean grinned over at where Gabriel lay curled up against his moose of a brother, still looking sceptical.

“Look, I get that you’re weary about the whole situation, but let’s focus on getting out of here, then you can see for yourself. Deal?” Sam smiled down at his small boyfriend, rubbing his arm to comfort him.

“Sure thing, Samoose.” Gabriel beamed back.

“Cas?” Dean asked quietly, as the youngest boy hadn’t spoken.

“If you say so,” he muttered, glancing up at the clock.

“Good. Now that that’s settled, let’s get upstairs before lights out. It’s pitch black in here at night.” Dean said, pulling Castiel off the couch with him.

“I know,” Gabriel grumbled, climbing off of Sam to let the taller boy stand. Sam and Gabriel said their goodnights, quickly kissing one another before heading out of the room, Castiel moving to follow them when Dean grabbed his wrist, pulling him back.

“Cas,” Dean started, getting lost in the wide blue orbs in front of him.

“Yeah?”

“I promise I won’t let anything bad happen to you ever again. Now please stop worrying so much. You’re giving me worry lines just looking at you.” Dean grinned, trying to get a smile from the slightly shorter boy, and succeeding.

“Thanks, Dean.” Castiel leaned in and quickly kissed Dean on the cheek, turning and fleeing from the room with a massive blush spread across his face and down his neck. Even as he scurried up the stairs, the sound of Dean’s laugh following him up, he could feel the blush spreading down his chest and up into his hair.

Safely back in his room, he leaned against the door, trying to calm himself before getting ready for bed. On the opposite end of the house, Dean was doing pretty much the same thing. Leaning against his bedroom door, he was grinning like an idiot, then pushed off to begin his nightly routine. By the time both boys climbed into bed, they were still grinning, Castiel slightly blushing.


	8. Chapter 8

I swear I haven't abandoned this fic. I've actually been really busy with life and work and stuff, but I plan on getting back to this really soon! I'm sorry, please forgive me :( I'm a terrible writer, I know. I'll have the next chapter soon though. Promise!


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